U.S. patent number 4,703,445 [Application Number 06/701,194] was granted by the patent office on 1987-10-27 for athletic shoe for running disciplines and a process for providing information and/or for exchanging information concerning moving sequences in running disciplines.
This patent grant is currently assigned to PUMA AG Rudolf Dassler Sport (formerly PUMA-Sportschuhfabriken Rudolf. Invention is credited to Armin A. Dassler.
United States Patent |
4,703,445 |
Dassler |
October 27, 1987 |
Athletic shoe for running disciplines and a process for providing
information and/or for exchanging information concerning moving
sequences in running disciplines
Abstract
An athletic shoe system for running disciplines and a process
for emitting and/or exchanging information concerning movement
factors of running disciplines enabling the athlete to always be
sufficiently informed regarding his/her training program that is in
progress or completed. In particular, in an area of the sole that
is less stressed during use, at least one free space is provided
where a transmitter is housed which, via a sensor provided in the
sole, can emit at least one output signal. In accordance with
preferred embodiments, a transmitter in a first shoe of a pair of
shoes receives the signals from the sensor and transmits emissions
in correspondence with their receipt. The transmitted emissions are
received by a remote receiver, that is linked with a computer, and
the remote receiver receives the transmitted emissions directly
from the transmitter of the first shoe and indirectly via a
receiver and transmitter of a second shoe of the pair. The computer
determines the distance between the first and second shoes, on the
basis of the delay between receipt by the remote receiver of the
directly and indirectly received emissions, as well as other
characteristic values related to stride rate or length.
Inventors: |
Dassler; Armin A.
(Herzogenaurach, DE) |
Assignee: |
PUMA AG Rudolf Dassler Sport
(formerly PUMA-Sportschuhfabriken Rudolf (Herzogenaurach,
DE)
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Family
ID: |
6227583 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/701,194 |
Filed: |
February 13, 1985 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Feb 13, 1984 [DE] |
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3405081 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
702/160; 482/901;
482/74; 340/323R; 235/105 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B
3/0005 (20130101); A43B 3/00 (20130101); G01C
22/006 (20130101); Y10S 482/901 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A43B
3/00 (20060101); G01C 22/00 (20060101); G01C
022/00 (); G08B 023/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;364/410,411,561,562,709
;235/15R ;340/323R ;272/69,70,100 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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0200119 |
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Oct 1985 |
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JP |
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2121219 |
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Dec 1983 |
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GB |
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Primary Examiner: Krass; Errol A.
Assistant Examiner: Dixon; Joseph L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sixbey, Friedman & Leedom
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An athletic shoe system for running disciplines having a sensor
means provided in a sole of at least one shoe of a pair of shoes
for emitting signals as a function of contact between the sole and
the ground, a transmitter means in at least one of said pair of
shoes for receiving said signals from the sensor means and for
transmitting emissions in correspondence with the receipt of said
signals, at least one receiver means for receiving the emissions
from the transmitter means, and computer means linked with the
receiver means for determining the length of strides taken with the
pair of shoes as a function of the signals emitted by the sensor
means based on the emissions received by the receiver means,
wherein said sensor means comprises a ground contact responsive
sensor in a first shoe of said pair of shoes, wherein said
transmitter means comprises a transmitter in each of said shoes,
wherein said receiver means comprises a receiver in a second shoe
of said pair of shoes and a remote receiver coupled to said
computer means, and wherein said computer means, via the remote
receiver coupled to the computer means, receives emissions from
said transmitters based upon the issuance of said signals by said
sensor means and has means for determining the distance between
said shoes as a function of a delay in receiving emissions directly
from said transmitter in the first shoe relative to the receipt
thereof via the receiver and transmitter in the second shoe.
2. An athletic shoe system according to claim 1 wherein said
computer means is operative to provide feedback signals for
indicating in at least one of an optical or a visual manner how the
strides being taken with the pair of shoes, as detected by the
sensor means, must be changed to conform with a desired program of
striding.
3. An athletic shoe system according to claim 1, wherein a sole
portion of at least one of the shoes is provided with at least one
free space therein, at least one of said transmitting means or said
receiving means being located within the at least one free space of
the at least one of the shoes.
4. An athletic shoe system according to claim 3, wherein a said
free space is provided in a center area of a heel of the shoe.
5. An athletic shoe system according to claim 3, wherein a said
free space is provided adjacent, but outside of, a zone of the ball
of the foot area of the sole.
6. An athletic shoe system according to claim 3 wherein a said free
space is provided in an arch area of the sole.
7. An athletic shoe system according to claim 3, wherein said sole
portion is an elastic midsole portion of the sole.
8. An athletic shoe system according to claim 3, wherein the at
least one of the transmitter means and the receiver means located
in the sole portion is surrounded by a shock-absorbing shell.
9. An athletic shoe system according to claim 3, wherein at least
one of the transmitter means, the receiver means and a battery
required for the operation thereof, are located in said sole
portion, is accessible via an opening, of one of the top side and
bottom side of the sole portion, that is tightly closeable by a
cover.
10. An athletic shoe system according to claim 9, wherein the cover
by which the opening is closeable is a snap cover.
11. An athletic shoe system according to claim 9, wherein the cover
by which the open is closable is a screw cap.
12. An athletic shoe system according to claim 9, wherein the
opening is provided in a foot bed sole and an insole, and the cover
is formed by parts thereof that are at least partially removable
from the opening by one of being bent away and ripped out.
13. An athletic shoe system according to claim 12, wherein a
"Velcro"-type fastening means is provided for securing the cover
parts in position closing the opening.
14. An athletic shoe system according to claim 9, wherein an
elastic disk is mounted on the inner side of the cover.
15. An athletic shoe system according to claim 3, wherein in an
area of the sole, a tightly closable charging connection is
provided for charging of a battery provided in the sole for
operating the at least one of the transmitter means and the
receiver means located in said sole portion.
16. An athletic shoe system according to claim 15, wherein the
battery is molded into the sole and wherein an inductance coil and
an alternating-current/direct-current converter for charging of the
battery from an external alternating-current source is provided in
the sole.
17. An athletic shoe system according to claim 1, wherein the
sensor means comprises pressure sensor.
18. An athletic shoe system according to claim 1, wherein a lateral
wall of the sole of said at least one shoe has at least one lateral
opening through which said emissions, in the form of at least one
of electromagnetic and optic rays, are passable.
19. An athletic shoe system according to claim 1, wherein a
time-measuring means is associated with the computer means in a
data exchangeable manner enabling the time-measuring means to be
used for calculating purposes.
20. An athletic shoe system according to claim 1, wherein means are
provided for enabling the computer means to determine at least one
of a distance traveled with the shoes, a speed at which the wearer
is traveling with the shoes or the stride length from the
information signals received from the relative movement of both
shoes with respect to each other.
21. An athletic shoe system according to claim 20, wherein the
sensor means and the transmitter means are associated with said
first shoe of the pair of shoes to emit a signal each time the shoe
contacts the ground and are associated with said second shoe of the
pair of shoes for emitting a signal each time said second shoe
lifts off the ground.
22. An athletic shoe system according to claim 1, wherein the
receiver means also includes a receiver in said first shoe for
receiving a reflected signal from the second shoe, said reflected
signal being directed by the transmitter of the first shoe to said
remote receiver for use by the said means for determining.
23. An athletic shoe system according to claim 1, wherein the
computer means is provided with data storage means.
24. A process for determining information concerning movement
factors in running disciplines using a pair of shoes comprising the
steps of outputting a first signal when a first of said shoes
contacts the ground, from a transmitter of said first shoe, in such
a way that it can be received by a first receiver provided at a
location displaced from said pair of shoes as well as by a second
receiver of a second shoe of said pair of shoes; receiving of the
output signal by the second receiver in said second shoe and
causing a transmitter located in the said second shoe to output a
second signal in such a way that it can be received by the first
receiver; determining from the time difference between receipt of
the two output signals by the first receiver, at least one of the
stride rate or stride length taken with the shoes via a computer
linked with the first receiver; and emitting the result of the
computer determination by at least one of an optical display means
or an acoustic converter means.
25. A process according to claim 24, wherein the computer sets up a
training program from data determined during the process using
previously stored data.
26. A process according to claim 25, wherein a training program is
fed into the computer, said computer determines values of
characteristics quantities contained in the program from the data
transmitted by the shoe transmitters and compares the determined
characteristic quantities with characteristic quantities stored in
the program, determines the existence of deviations between the
determined and stored characteristic quantities, and provides at
least one of an indication of the deviation, a correction to the
stored program, or establishment of a new program.
27. A process according to claim 24, wherein the second signal is
received by the first receiver directly from the transmitter of
said second shoe.
28. A process according to claim 24, wherein the second signal is
received by the first receiver indirectly from the transmitter of
said second shoe via a receiver of said first shoe and the
transmitter of said first shoe.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an athletic shoe for running disciplines
and a process for providing information and/or for exchanging
information concerning moving sequences in running disciplines
using a sensor provided in the sole of the shoe and emitting a
signal in response to each step taken by the wearer and a
transmitter for transmitting the signal to a remote receiver.
In sports where running long distances, medium distances or even
short distances make special demands on the athlete, the athletes'
training is often, to a considerable extent, aimed at the moving
sequences of the limbs, especially those of the legs. For this
purpose, the athlete himself or a trainer often set up certain
training programs. Of special significance are, in this case, the
possibilities of monitoring the training sequence and/or the
achieved results. These should be recorded and compared with
previous data or desired data and/or analyzed in order to recognize
the training condition or the degree of training or to be able to
reliably assess it in order to draw conclusions concerning further
training phases or sequences and possibly also different training
phases or sequences.
In published U.K. patent application No. 2,121,219 and
corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,204, an electronic music pace and
distance counting shoe is disclosed wherein an electronic circuit
device is disposed in a shoe sole that, upon walking, jogging or
running, provides a walking speed rate, music beat, beat sound,
etc. Additionally, a microcomputer counts the number of steps and
measures the approximate distance that the wearer has walked,
jogged or run based upon a stored value that has been preset with a
normal length of stride of a walker, runner or jogger. However,
since stride lengths vary greatly from individual to individual,
due to such factors as size and conditioning, and even with respect
to a given individual over the duration of a given training session
or race, due to such factors as fatigue and terrain, such a single
sensor system that functions based on a preset "normal" stride
length cannot provide accurate information concerning stride length
and running speed, especially for various phases or sequences
involving different combinations of stride length and pace.
Furthermore, this known shoe is not designed to advise the wearer
if his program of running/jogging/walking is varying, at a given
point in time, from a predetermined program set up for the athlete
or how he must change in order to achieve the desired values. Other
electronic step counting shoes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
4,402,147 and International application No. PCT/GB82/00119
(International Publication No. WO82/03753) and they possess similar
deficiencies.
In the skiing sport, it is known to mount a receiver and a speaker
or earphone in the skier's helmet through which the athlete during
training or competition can receive the instructions of the
trainer. However, this information is based exclusively on the
trainer's intuition and not on specific measured results and
especially does not take into account the athlete's instantaneous
physical condition. Such information may, therefore, also have very
disadvantageous consequences for the athlete, such as overexertion
or premature exhaustion. With the application of the invention,
these disadvantages may be avoided completely.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to, among other
things, develop athletic shoes in such a way that the athlete is,
at any time, sufficiently informed concerning the training program
or competition, either instantaneously or after completion. It is a
further object to provide athletic shoes which will accurately
provide information concerning stride length and running speed.
It is still another object to provide athletic shoes that not only
provide pace and pacing information, but provide feedback to the
wearer by which the athlete can determine variance from a desired
program and how to modify his actual program to achieve that
desired.
In accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention, accurate
information concerning an athlete's stride length, running speed
and distance covered is determined by a computer by processing
signals transmitted from shoe sole embedded, ground contact sensing
means to remote receiving means. The information determined can be
made directly available to the athlete or his trainer, or it may be
compared with stored information of corresponding desired values in
order to provide feedback relating to deviations occurring between
actual and desired performance. In accordance with the most
preferred embodiments, transmitter/receiver means are provided in
both shoes of the athlete in a manner enabling the distance of both
shoes to be determined, thereby eliminating the need for the use of
approximations based upon contact frequency and a preset stride
length.
By means of the measures according to the invention, it is
possible, during running, to constantly receive information
concerning at least the most important running phases or moving
sequences, especially concerning the length of the steps and
possibly also concerning the running speed and run distances or
sections of distances. The athlete can then, in a targeted manner,
use this information for changing his running or training behavior
and/or program, if necessary. The received information is,
therefore, provided to a device and transmitted to the athlete
and/or his trainer and/or a central location. If necessary, this
information is stored, at least stored temporarily, and it may also
be transferred to a program or produce a program change in a
computer.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become more obvious from the following description
when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show,
for purposes of illustration only, several embodiments in
accordance with the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a partial section of a shoe sole viewed from below, in
accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a partial-sectional side view of a shoe having the sole
of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged representation of the circular cutout
according to FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 and 5 are each a cutout of a sole or a heel; and
FIGS. 6, 6A are flow charts depicting the manner in which received
information is evaluated including the means for providing the
information and/or the means for transferring the program
transmission.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In an athletic shoe 1 for running disciplines, especially for
longer distances, such as marathon distances or in the sport of
jogging, but also for medium or short distances or for the starting
stretch in the case of long-jumping, high-jumping, pole-vaulting,
etc., at least one free space 3', 3", 3"', 3"" is provided in the
body 2 of the sole (FIG. 2). This or these free space(s) 3', 3",
3"', 3"" is provided in the areas of the running sole where,
normally, the lowest stress occurs during running; for example, in
the center parts of the sole in area 4' in front of area 5 of the
ball 6 of the foot or in area 4" behind area 5 or in area 4"', in
the joint or in front of area 8 of the heel or in area 4"" in the
center zone 7 of area 8 of the heel.
In at least one of the free spaces 3' to 3"", a transmitter 9 and
possibly also a receiver 10 and possibly at least one sensor 11 and
one battery 12 are provided. The transmitter 9, the receiver 10,
the sensor 11 and the battery 12 can be housed in the same or
different free spaces and can be connected with one another or
interact with one another. These components are housed in free
spaces 3' to 3"" in a shock-absorbing manner by being disposed in,
for example, a highly elastic body 2 of the sole or in a highly
elastic, specifically foamed, mid-sole 13 or by being surrounded by
a shock-absorbing shell 14.
Components 9, 10, 11, 12 are molded into the sole 2 or the mid-sole
13, the material of the sole, preferably, being injected
therearound. Alternatively, these components may be inserted
subsequently, such as via an opening 16 provided in the outer sole
15. The opening 16 can be closed tightly from the outside by means
of a lid. For this purpose, the lid is developed, preferably, as a
screw cap 17 (FIG. 5) or as a snap cover 18 (FIG. 4), a tool recess
19 being provided by way of which cap 17 may be screwed in or out,
or cover 18 may be pulled out. In particular, the opening 16 is
provided for exchanging the battery 12. Any possible space between
the interior side of the lid or cover and the free space 3' to 3""
or the components 9, 10, 11, 12 or the shell 14 can be filled in by
an elastic, preferably volume-compressible disk 20 that is mounted
at the lid or cover 17,18.
As shown in FIG. 5, an opening 21 may also be provided in the foot
bed sole 22 and/or in the insole 23. The opening 21 can be closed,
for example, by a liftable upper part 24 of the sole 22/23 that is
preferably held closed by a Velcro-type fastening means. The
battery 12 may be a rechargeable cell, preferably a NCd-cell
(nickel cadmium cell) which may be molded into the running sole or
the midsole 2, 13. The charging will then take place via an outside
power unit, either inductively, for example, via a coupling loop in
the sole or via a tightly closeable charging socket 27 provided
preferably at a side wall 26 of the sole of the shoe 1.
As the sensor 11, a pressure sensor, for example, an electric
pressure responsive switch 28, such as a foil switch, a
piezeo-element, a Hall element, or a similar switch, can be
provided. This pressure switch, at each impact of the shoe 1 on the
ground 29 during running (FIG. 6) can close and/or open, directly
or indirectly, at least one contact 30, 31 and can thus, emit an
output signal, for example, in the form of an electric impulse. In
the case of a sufficient output, the output signal is emitted
directly, or in the case of an insufficient output, after it is
amplified, via the transmitter 9 and a radiating means 32, which
may be an ultrasonic converter or an infrared light source,
preferably an infrared light-emitting diode, or an inductance coil,
in particular, an antenna coil. The transmitter 9 preferably emits
an impulse of a certain length and frequency, such as for 0.01 to
0.2 sec., a frequency of 40 kHz, which is therefore in the
ultrasonic range. This frequency may also be amplitude-modulated,
frequency-modulated or pulse-code-modulated.
As can be seen in FIG. 2, radiating means 32 is advantageously
arranged in openings 33 in the rear wall 34 of the sole, the
opening 33 being closed by a suitable covering which dampens the
output signals only slightly.
With reference to FIG. 6, radiating means 32 is advantageously
mounted in such a way that, according to its application, it has a
directional characteristic to the rear or to the front or to the
side. It is in each case also arranged in such a way that it can
radiate diagonally in an upward direction so that an information
receiver 35 carried on the body, for example on the athlete's belt,
can easily receive the emitted information.
In the simplest case, the information receiver 35 counts the
received output signals and indicates them immediately or upon
request at a display means 36 and/or emits the respective number of
steps as a sound via a sound transmitter 37, such as a microphone
or an earphone, and/or via a speech synthetizer as synthetic words.
From the run distance, the athlete can then determine the average
length of the steps. Vice versa, the athlete can then, after some
time, when he knows the ordinary length of his steps, determine the
run distance from the number of steps, which is important in the
case of training runs, especially when the terrian is unknown. It
is advantageous to provide a computer 38 in the information
receiver 35 or a computer 38 is used that externally is carried on
the athlete's body which indicates this calculation, after the
length of the steps is fed in, as contacts, preferably in cycles,
i.e., 1 to 4 times per second, and can thus continuously emit the
run distance to the display means 45.
In the information receiver 35 or in the computer 38, a chronograph
is preferably provided or integrated having, preferably a division
of hundredths or thousandths so that it can determine and emit the
respective instantaneous speed from the fed length of steps and
from the time, when each step is measured and/or the respective
overall number of steps is used for calculating the average speed.
Preferably, sufficient storage capacity is provided in the computer
38 in order for it to receive the data of each step and therefore
be able to determine how many steps are taken in a given time and
in order to possibly also include the instantaneous overall number
of steps in the instantaneous overall time. Thus, at a later time,
a table or diagram can be made any time, or can be displayed or
printed which supplies to the athlete an overview of the changes of
the data for the distance run. After an optimization of the data by
the athlete or a trainer, an individual program can be set up for
the athlete. This program can be fed into a computer which will
then, during a later run, compare it with the instantaneous values
and as a result calculate the deviation from the desired program,
and as a function of the deviations emit audible or visible
instructions providing feedback to the athlete as to how the run
must be changed in order to remain within the optimized values.
Instead of a pressure sensor or in addition to it, other sensors,
such as acceleration sensors and/or distance sensors and/or step
length sensors and/or speed sensors may be provided in the shoes 1,
in which case also their signals, as output signals, are fed to the
information receiver 35 and to the computer 38 which as a result
calculates or establishes the mentioned or other data or carries
out a program optimization.
So that the length of the steps does not have to be determined by
measuring a run over a previously measured distance, according to
an advantageous further development of the invention shown in FIG.
6, the step length 39 can be measured directly with a relatively
small tolerance and the measured value can be indicated directly
and/or can be fed to the computer 38. In the illustrated shoe 1'
that is shown in FIG. 6 as being in front, relative to the running
direction, a transmitter 9' and a receiver 10' are housed, and in
the rear shoe 1", a transmitter 9" and a receiver 10" are housed,
for example, in each case an ultrasonic transmitter and receiver,
with an associated radiating means 32, such as sound converters
32', 32", 32"' and 32"".
In this case, when the shoe 1' steps on the ground 29, the
transmitter 9' emits an output signal S1 which is received by the
information receiver 35 and by receiver 10" of the rear shoe 1" and
by being applied to the transmitter 9" is emitted by this
transmitter 9" as the output signal S2 to the information receiver
35. With the assumption that the distance of the information
receiver 35 from the two shoes 1' and 1" is about equal, the output
signal S2 received by the information receiver 35 is delayed by the
travelling time of the signal S1 from the front shoe 1' to the rear
shoe 1". From this, the respective step length 39 can be determined
directly. Tolerances that may occur because of the fact that, for
example, the sound converters 32' and 32"" in the case of the front
shoe 1' are provided in the heel and in the case of the rear shoe
1" are provided in the tip or in a side, may be corrected by a
constant correction factor which may, for example, be fed into the
computer 38.
There is also the possibility to provide another receiver 10' in
the front shoe 1' which receives the reflected signal R1 or the
reflection signal R1 emitted by the transmitter 9" and then directs
it to the information receiver 35 as reflection signal R2. In this
case, the distance 39 is passed through twice and therefore the
step length is indicated twice and must then be divided in half in
the computer 38 in order to receive the correct measured value. The
results determined by the computer 38, such as the instantaneous
step length, the instantaneous stepping speed, the instantaneous
running speed, the total number of steps, the total distance, the
total time, the average time, the distance that is still to be run,
or the comparison with a program and the calculated correction
instructions or similar quantities can be indicated at the display
means 36 and/or may be emitted at the sound converter 37 as a sound
of varying tone pitch and/or a sound sequence and/or as a synthetic
language.
According to an advantageous further development of the invention,
the data of the information carrier 35 and/or of the computer 38
can be emitted via a data transmitter 40 and can be transmitted to
a receiving station 41, for example, located with the trainer or at
an athletic or training center 42 or at a computer center. There
these data are received by a data receiver 43 and are indicated or
emitted via a display means 36 or via a large-scale display means
44 and/or converter 37' or 37", and/or are fed to one or several
additional computer(s) 38', 38" and are calculated and displayed
via this or these computer(s).
An input keyboard 45' and 45" having display means 36' and 36" can
also be assigned to the data receiver 43 and/or to the computers
38' and 38" in order to be able to feed and/or correct a program
and/or have a program displayed.
A time-measuring means may also be integrated into the computer(s)
38, 38', 38" or may be assigned to it or them which exchanges data
with this or these computer(s) and can be used for calculating
purposes.
It is advantageous to feed a training program into the computer(s)
38, 38', 38", in which case this computer or these computers, from
the data transmitted by the shoe transmitters 9, 9', 9",
determine(s) the values of the characteristic quantities contained
in the program, such as length of steps, speed or similar
quantities. The computer(s) also compare(s) the transmitted data
with the values of these characteristic quantities stored in the
program. The computer(s) may also have other functions, such as the
determination of deviations, the emitting of the determined data to
the athletes, the storage, printing or feeding of programs
including their corrections and/or the establishing of new
programs. The results of such an evaluation can then be fed back to
the athlete as audible or visible instructions as to those changes
that must be made to achieve optimized performance.
The receiving station 41 may also be equipped as the trainer center
42 for a large number of athletes. In this case, the signals are
frequency-modulated, amplitude-modulated or pulse-code modulated in
order to be able to separately receive and evaluate the data of the
individual athletes. Accordingly, the receiving station 41 will
then consist of a corresponding number of data carriers 43, 43',
43", etc. and computers 38', 38", etc. In this case, the computers
38', 38" may also be combined to a central computer unit.
According to another advantageous development of the invention, the
transmitter and the receiver in the shoes 1' and 1" may affect one
another via assigned radiating or emitting devices in such a way
that, for example, according to the Doppler principle, the relative
speed of both legs with respect to one another can be measured by
feeding the corresponding data to the computer where they are
evaluated. In this case, it is especially advantageous that, also
when the shoe 1" is lifted off the ground 29, a signal is emitted
that is processed together with the signal emitted by the other
shoe 1' when it steps on the ground. As a result, the measuring
precision, preferably that of the measurements of the step lengths,
can be increased considerably. In this regard, it is noted that,
normally, a running stride produces a contact between the shoe and
the ground that shifts from an initial point of impact in the heel
area 8 to a terminal point of lift-off at the toe. Thus, signals
indicative of initial ground contact can be produced by a sensor 12
at area 4"" while signals indicative of lift-off can be produced by
a sensor at area 4'.
Furthermore, while the preferred arrangement for providing accurate
information concerning stride length and running speed is attained
in the noted manners through the use of sensor, transmitter, and
receiver components in both left and right shoes of a pair, it
should be appreciated that suitable results can be achieved if, for
example, shoe 1' has only a sensor and transmitter 9', while the
shoe 1" has receiver 9" and transmitter 10", but no sensor.
Likewise, by using a transmitter along with heel and toe sensors in
only one shoe, it may be possible to construct the other shoe
conventionally, actual stride distance and running speed being
determined by the computer through modification of a preset stride
and speed based upon the frequency of heel signals together with
the time period between heel and toe signals, for example, it being
known that the heel signal has occurred at the end of the forward
step movement and the toe signal near the end of the rearward step
movement and the runner's leg length being a constant.
While various embodiments in accordance with the present invention
have been shown and described, it is understood that the same is
not limited thereto, but is susceptible of numerous changes and
modifications as known to those skilled in the art, and, therefore,
it is not intended that the invention be limited to the details
shown and described herein, but rather it is intended to cover all
such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of
the appended claims.
* * * * *